It wasn't in the cards for Jerrod Mayo.
The recently fired former Patriots head coach raised eyebrows earlier this year when he chose to spend time with his assistants instead of sitting with them while his players were engrossed in a game of cards on the plane home from a loss. I hid. According to The Athletic.
“Look, there's a lot of ways to get the job done,” a team official who was there that day told the publication. “It's not that Jerod's judgment was definitively wrong. But I can't say I've seen it before.”
While the Patriots did not fire Mayo because of where he sat on the flight home, the story illustrates some of the difficulties the former team captain experienced in his first year as head coach. are.
Players and coaches typically sit in separate parts of the plane, and the report describes how Patriots assistants spent the day on the plane watching footage from the team's 30-17 loss to the Cardinals in Week 15. Taka is written.
Mayo, who played eight seasons and won a title in New England, returned to his roots as a player by choosing to entertain rather than figure.
Officials on the plane said it “felt like another example of Mayo going too far in the opposite direction.” [Bill] Mayo was handpicked by owners to replace Belichick.
But the incident is consistent with previous reporting highlighting Mayo's sometimes struggles with media responsibilities.
Mayo had to walk back several statements he made during the season, including one about the team's spending, labeling his team “naive” and appearing to criticize the offensive coordinator. .
All of this speaks to the fact that Patriots owner Robert Kraft acknowledged Monday that the first-time coach may not have been ready for his job.
“This situation is entirely my fault,” Kraft said. “I feel terrible for putting Jerod in an unbearable situation. I know he has all the tools to succeed in this league as a head coach, but he needs more time before he takes over.” At the end of the day, I'm a fan of this team first and now I have to go find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully get us to a championship.”
With Mayo out, the Patriots could use another former player in former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
New England has been accused by some of trying to circumvent the Rooney Rule by interviewing former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and former Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. , neither are considered serious head coaching candidates.
The Rooney Rule is intended to give minority coaches more fair judgment in the hiring process.
